An out-of-date or corrupted wireless driver could prevent you from connecting your PC to the Internet. If the wireless driver is the culprit, reinstalling it will get you back online in minutes. First, download the latest version of the driver using a wired Internet connection. At that point you can safely remove the current driver in the Device Manager, allowing you to do a clean installation.

Macs don’t use wireless drivers. If you’re having trouble with your Mac, see How to Fix Common Computer Network Issues for Mac.

2

Press ⊞ Win+S to launch the search box. To determine the best driver for your wireless card, you will need to know what the wireless card is called. You can find that information in the Device Manager.

3

Type devmgmt.msc into the search box and press ↵ Enter. The Device Manager will now appear on the screen.

4

Click “Network Adapters” in the list of devices. This will expand a list of all network adapters on the computer, including one that has the word "wireless" in its name.[1]

If you can't find one labeled "Wireless," right-click each driver and select "Properties." The wireless card should say “Wireless Card” under “type.”

5

Navigate to the “Driver” tab.

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Write down the name and version of the wireless adapter. The wireless adapter name is at the very top of the Driver tab.[2]

An example of a wireless card name is “Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235.”

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Navigate to the Support section of the manufacturer of your wireless card. This is where you’ll find links to download drivers for your device.

For example, if your wireless card was made by Intel, visit www.intel.com and click “Support.”

8

Search for the name of your wireless card. This is the name that you wrote down earlier. Once you find the wireless card, click the link to visit its product page.

9

Download the drivers for your version of Windows. You may have to click a link that says “Download,” “Software,” or “Drivers” to find the download links.

Most companies provide drivers in a “.exe” file, which makes them extra easy to download and install.

Save the download in a location you will remember, like the Downloads folder or the Desktop.

Part 2

Removing the Current Driver

1

Return to the Device Manager and expand the “Network Adapters” list. Now you’ll prepare to remove the current driver.

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Right-click the wireless card under “Network Adapters” and then click “Properties”.

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Navigate to the “Driver” tab, then click “Uninstall.” A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm your choice.

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Click “OK” to confirm. The entry for the wireless card will now disappear from the “Network Adapters” list.

Part 3

Installing the Driver

1

Double-click the .exe file you downloaded. This should launch the setup program that will install your wireless drivers.[3]

If the file ends with “.zip” instead of “.exe”, right-click the file and select “Extract All.” Select a folder to extract the files to and click “Extract.” Finally, double-click the .exe file located in the folder you selected.

2

(If there is no .exe file) Click the "Action" menu at the top of the Device Manager, then select "Scan for hardware changes". The device manager will now scan the computer for hardware without drivers installed.[4]

If a driver is found, Windows will install it automatically. To confirm that a new driver was installed, expand the list of network adapters and look for the entry for your wireless adapter.

If a driver is not found, you may be prompted to browse for the folder where the driver files are located. Navigate to the directory to which you extracted the .zip files, then click “OK” or “Install.”

3

Follow the prompts to install your drivers. The screens will be different depending on your system and wireless card, but you’ll usually have to agree to the manufacturer’s terms before arriving at an “Install” button.

If the installer asks you to restart the computer once the installation is complete, click “OK” or “Restart Now” as indicated.

4

Disconnect your wired LAN connection. To test your connection, remove the Ethernet cable from the LAN port on your computer. This ensures that you’re testing the right connection.

5

Connect to your Wi-Fi network and browse to https://www.wikihow.com. If the drivers were the culprit, you should now be able to access wikiHow using your wireless connection.

Try restarting the computer if you can’t connect. Then, open the Device Manager and run “Scan for new hardware” again.

I re-imaged my laptop and I did have wifi before, but after re-image wifi adapter couldn't be found. Where is it?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

Check the device manager again. If it isn't there, look up your laptop's specs and find the exact wireless card you're using. Search online for the card + "download drivers." Having it should help your laptop find the card again.

I bought a refurbished computer and there are not any Network Adapters in the Device Manager. What can I do?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

Click the "Action" menu and select "Scan for hardware changes." Hopefully a wireless device will show up at that point. If not, try rebooting and choosing that option again. If you still don't see anything, the wireless adapter may not be properly connected inside of the computer (if it's a desktop computer). If you're still having issues, call support--your refurbished computer should be protected by a warranty.

Will it be able to refind the driver if I don't have internet at the time?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

If it doesn't, the computer will attempt to install a generic driver that *should* get you online. Just in case, connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable and download the driver in advance.

I found my wireless driver, but still my computer doesn't find and doesn't connect to my home Wi-Fi network. How can I resolve this problem?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

First, check to see if the computer can connect to any other Wi-Fi networks. Then, check to see if other devices on your network can see and connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If the computer has no issues connecting elsewhere and other devices can connect to your Wi-Fi network, open your Network Settings, click "Manage Wi-Fi Settings," click the network you're trying to connect to, then click "Forget." Try to connect again and see what happens.

Make sure you are logged in with an administrator account. If you still can't uninstall the driver, try installing a fresh copy of the driver (downloaded from the manufacturer's website), as your driver is likely corrupted.